Waitrose has claimed gold in the race to stock this season's first British apricots, helping to fly the flag for homegrown fruit following a tough few months of preparation for the country's growers.
The apricots, supplied by Kent-based company AG Thames, are from a series of varieties developed by French breeding group Cot International and are labelled on punnets as 'limited edition speciality stonefruit: varieties picked to bring you a taste of something different'.
According to Tom Hulme of AC Hulme & Sons, which produces stonefruit and topfruit on four farms in south-east Kent, the early-harvesting varieties have produced a good-quality crop in the face of some unusually cold and wet conditions.
"Despite the very difficult weather this growing season, which has affected all fruit, we’ve been very pleased that UK apricots have still sized well, had some very good colour and strong levels of sugar," Hulme commented.
Hulme is one of just two growers - the other being Clive Baxter, also based in Kent - that are producing and supplying the fruit to Waitrose this season.
With the UK apricot season set to be in full swing from the first full week of August, a number of British retailers are expected to compete to source what remains a limited supply of domestic varieties.
Alistair Swan, stonefruit buyer at Waitrose, believes his company's commitment to sourcing UK-grown apricots and backing growers throughout the year has put it on top of the podium when it comes to supporting British fruit.
"Without doubt, the UK growers have had some hurdles to jump this year, but by co-operating closely with the growers, we have managed to support the guys through this," said Swan.
"This has allowed for Waitrose once again to demonstrate that they are leaders when it comes firstly to offering their customers innovative products and, at the same time, to supporting British fruit growing.”
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